IMAGINING THE POST COVID INFORMAL ECONOMY IN INDIA: A CASE FOR DEMAND-BASED URBAN JOB GUARANTEE PROGRAMME Presentation by: Sayamsiddha MA Development and Labour Studies Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
INTRODUCTION Nationwide Health crisis lockdown (COVID-19 (policy response pandemic) to curb spread of virus ) Economic and Most impacted are Humanitarian crisis the workers of in (uncertainty, the Informal unemployment, Sector (90%) with starvation, workers little to no social forced out of cities security they help build)
This paper tries to analyze: •The impact of the pandemic on the informal economy and the policy discourse that followed. •In this regard, it tries to understand the impact of right-based NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005) in addressing the issue of unemployment in rural areas following the return of workers and discusses its prospects. •It further tries to explore the scope of an urban demand-based job guarantee programme
Impact of Pandemic on Informal Economy Prior to the crisis induced by COVID-19: GDP continued to fall since 2015-2016 down to 4.2% in 2019-2020, the lowest recorded figure since 2002-2003 (first quarter of current fiscal, -23.9%). Highest open unemployment rate in 45 years (2017-2018) Consumption expenditure was at its lowest in decades Also survived two shocks in the time before the pandemic, due to Demonetization (2016) and the introduction of Goods and Service Tax (2017).
Impact of Pandemic on Informal Economy Catastrophic impacts not created by rather accentuated by the pandemic. Mass layoffs, unemployment, loss of livelihood, increasing inequality Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE) shows that in the month of April and May, the rate of unemployment stood at 23% which is three folds more the figures from the same period in the previous year (2020)
Impact on Labour Market Dynamics Phenomenon of reverse migration created a situation which altered the labour market dynamics These changes impact the workers and the economy as a whole which is experiencing both an unprecedented collapse in demand and disruption in supply chains
Institutional Response and Policy Discourse On 26 th March, the Finance minister announced a relief package of $22.6 Billion and was meant for direct cash transfers for targeted groups. An analysis show that the package was mostly already budgeted. On 12 th May, the Prime Minister made another announcement of an economic package called the “Atmanirbhar Package” worth 20 Trillion, described as a move towards a self reliant India. Critics have however pointed out that the package continues to fall short as it includes fiscal and monetary policies which were already announced previously.
Institutional response and policy discourse Key Points Limited relief and recovery . The emphasis on targeted transfer. Unique is investment in NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005) of about 40 Thousand Crore, 65% over the budgeted amount.
What is NREGA? The world’s largest job guarantee programme that guarantees rural households 100 days of work in a given year. 60% wages to unskilled, 40% to semi/skilled Implemented by Gram Panchayats, local governing body Hailed for contributions in strengthening participatory democracy, caste and gender upliftment, increase in incomes, asset creation, etc Criticized for issues related to leakages, delayed payments, inadequate funds, etc
The Impact of NREGA During the Pandemic With the reverse migration, the programme saw a huge increase in demand. Data from CIME (2020) highlights that the unemployment rates in rural India has dropped back to the rates during the pre COVID times. Due to coincidental timing of seasonal farming activities and also due to government policies related to job creation. This renewed the debate over urban job guarantee programmes
The Impact of NREGA During the Pandemic Average income per person per month doubled to Rs.1000 in the first four months of fiscal’21. In terms of person days, in the period between April to July, there is a 25% greater execution of work under NREGA, thereby aiding the rural income. The bigger states which otherwise experiences huge out migration were states where work allocation increased more than 50% on-year in the first four months (CRISIL, 2020).
The Impact of NREGA during the Pandemic Suggestion for further strengthening the impact of NREGA in the rural areas: Reorienting the jobs to create micro enterprises and contribute to infrastructural development of the augmenting health and sanitations sector (Vasudevan et al, 2020). Large scale opening of worksites and the opportunity to enroll at site, expanding the permissible work list and timely payments preferably in cash (Dreze, 2020 & Khera, 2020). Increasing the number of days under the programme from 100 to 150 days (Dev and Sengupta, 2020).
Imagining the Post-COVID Informal Economy and the Way Forward There have been several proposals to extend NREGA to the urban centers (discussed later). Various state-level job guarantee programmes following the pandemic have started and are a positive step in the way forward. Considering the magnitude of the crisis it is crucial that a national policy be developed in order to combat the risk of long term unemployment, greater poverty and inequality.
Imagining the Post-COVID Informal Economy and the Way Forward In its State of Working report (2019), Azim Premji University proposes an urban version of the NREGA which is sought to not only ensure legal right to work for urban workers but also initiate infrastructural development . Aims at strengthening small and medium sized cities Create work and also create sustainable cities by improving the quality of urban infrastructure and services, by restoring urban commons and ecology. A bottom up approach which empowers urban local bodies by increasing financial and human capacities Democratic decentralization : ULBs shall be responsible for administering the programme and for timely disbursal of wages. In order to maintain transparency, mandatory and periodic social audits and public hearing through dedicated independent bodies along with mechanisms of grievance redressal are proposed
Imagining the Post-COVID Informal Economy and the Way Forward Jean Dreze also gives an alternative suggestion of a “Decentralized Urban Employment and Training” scheme (2020b) The proposed idea is to release “Job stamps” which the worker can take to public institutions which are approved by the government. These job stamps can be then converted to a one person-day of work within a specified period with an approved institution finding work and the government paying wages. The employees will be chose from a pool of registered workers by the approved employer or through an independent agency, a third party, in order to avoid collusion in placements. It has suggests ways to maintain transparency by hiring independent agency to monitor , audit, inspect evaluate Another crucial component is that of training, where when a skilled worker is hired, an unskilled worker should be mandatorily hired to accompany for skill formation.
Conclusion and Recommendation We should not limit our analysis of the two proposals in isolation of each other. We can think of a programme which is a synthesis of the two. The first can be emphasized in small and medium cities while the second is explored in the context of major cities which has huge population of daily wage workers who may benefit the most from such a scheme. Moreover, the heterogeneity of socio economic factors around the populace needs to be considered at all times. Mechanisms to address these differences among urban areas is something which needs to be explored further.
Conclusion and Recommendation We see through this discussion how the pandemic brought “invisible migrants” to the centre of the policy discourse. The impact of NREGA in times of distress has been positive and has also refreshed the debate upon extension of such a programme to the urban centers. Although there are several potential ways the programme can be made more efficient in the rural sector, the potential of such a programme as an Urban alternative is immense. Along with creating jobs, such an initiative can also create aggregate demands which can push the economy towards a path of recovery.
References Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (2020). Unemployment Rate in India CRISIL. (2020). MGNREGA hauls up Rural Wages. Dev, M.S. Sengupta, R. (2020) Covid 19: Impact on the Indian Economy. Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai WP-2020-013 Dreze, Jean.2020. “The need for a million worksites now” The Hindu, May 25th 2020 https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-need-for-a-million- worksites-now/article31665949.ece Dreze, Jean. (2020b). Decentralized Urban Employment and Training Scheme: A proposal . NCDS Policy Brief: 23 Khera, Reetika. 2020. “Why cash can save the rural jobs scheme” Livemint, May 26th 2020 https://www.livemint.com/news/india/why-cash-can-save-the- rural-jobs-scheme-11590421706597.html Vasudevan, G. Singh, S. Gupta, G. Jalajakshi, C.K. (2020). MGNREGA in the Times of COVID-19 and Beyond: Can India do More with Less?. The Indian Journal of Labour Economics https://doi.org/10.1007/s41027-020-00247-0
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